Nursing Home Horror

21st July 2015

Brackley Lodge Nursing Home, owned by Chivrose Healthcare Limited, was subject to an unannounced inspection in April 2015.

The Care Quality Commission found residents were not being protected from abuse. Residents were being cared for by staff who did not understand their needs and who did not have the competences, training or guidance to care for them safely.

Reasons for injuries and bruising were not always understood. Residents were not being cared for in an efficient manner. Resident's nutritional needs were not always known and staff were not always offering residents support to eat and drink enough.

Resident's dignity and respect was not adequately protected. Personal hygiene and appropriate clothing was not always assured and some residents were not being bathed or showered for long periods of time.

The Care Quality Commission found that, since December 2014, there has been an escalation in safeguarding concerns in relation to the quality and safety of care within the Home and in relation to the conduct of some staff members. These matters are subject to ongoing investigations by relevant Authorities.

Inspectors observed residents who had unexplained bruising and injuries. Records and staff were inconsistent about how these injuries had occured.

Three residents had recurrent falls in the period between February and March 2015. Only one of these had been referred to the GP and none of them had been referred to the local NHS Falls Prevention Service.

Staff had recorded that two residents had pressure ulcers in January 2015. There were no Wound Care Plans for these pressure ulcers and no reference to them in the daily records in April.

On the first day of the inspection, residents appeared dishevelled; several residents looked as though they lacked basic care and attention. Their hair was unkept, their eyes, mouth and fingernails were also dirty. In some cases, their clothing was stained and poorly maintained. One resident said "I don't have a shower as often as I would like. I had one last Friday night and I probably won't get one for another week. It's about once a week if you're lucky. I have gone up to three weeks without one. I don't like to keep running after them, asking them. I can't use it myself you see. I like a shower at least once a week". Records showed that this resident had not had a shower or bath for three weeks earlier in the year.

The Care Quality Commission found numerous breaches of regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

If your loved one was a resident at this Nursing Home and suffered neglect or abuse or, indeed, is a resident at any other Nursing Home and have suffered neglect or abuse, please contact one of our Specialists on 0333 414 9123 for a 'no obligation' discussion about making a claim.

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